This invention relates to aromatic substance dispensers and in particular to passive fragrance dispensers.
By passive fragrance dispenser it is meant a device for fragrancing an area wherein the fragrance emitting substance is simply exposed to normal air currents within an environment to dispense the fragrance in vapors throughout the area without resorting to fans, jet sprays, heating devices, and so on. Many devices of this type are currently in use or have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 355,982 teaches the use of a hollow stem being immersed at one end in a liquid fragrance material containing reservoir, having an artificial flower connected at its other end, the hollow stem being filled with an absorbent material. In this case a liquid fragrance material is carried by capillary action from the liquid fragrance material reservoir to the artificial flower by means of the absorbent wick.
U.S. Pat. No. 472,133 teaches using a liquid fragrance material reservoir and absorbent wick in combination with a movable perforated cover to provide means for valving vapor release.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,500,896 a controllable aromatic dispenser is disclosed. A liquid reservoir feeds fragrance material to a wick which can be controllably exposed to an external air stream by means of rotatable perforated discs. This invention further discloses an elongated bracket having a hooked end for suspending the dispenser in an air stream. U.S. Pat. No. 220,488 depicts a perfume evaporator for automobiles having a chain presumably for convenient hanging within an automobile.
While the above described aromatic substance dispensers provide convenient means for fragrancing an area they do not disclose the uniquely controlled fragrance delivery system of the instant invention. The passive dispenser herein described does away with liquid reservoirs and there attendant problems by making a highly absorbent wick material, threaded within a tube, perform the double function of a fragrance substance reservoir as well as a convenient means for suspending the fragrance dispenser of the invention within the environment to be fragranced. Delivery of fragrance material from the wick to a diffuser within the dispenser is uniquely controlled by a partial vacuum created by the flow of fragrance material out of the wick and into the diffuser. By this means an economical and long lasting self regulating passive fragrance dispenser is provided.
Accordingly, the primary object of the invention is to provide an economical, controlled passive fragrance dispenser.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a passive fragrance dispenser which does not make use of a liquid reservoir.
A further object of the invention is to provide a passive fragrance dispenser wherein access to fragrance vapors can be sealed.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a self regulating passive fragrance dispenser.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an efficient passive fragrance dispenser for a small environment, such as the interior of an automobile.